Conway hopes history on his helmet will send him to Le Mans glory.

G-Drive Oreca-Nissan LM P2 driver – and IZOD IndyCar two-time race winner – Mike Conway decided to pay tribute to the famous Le Mans circuit during its 90th anniversary year in 2013 by commissioning a special helmet for his inaugural race in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Working with his regular UK-based designer JLF Designs, Conway looked to the past for his helmet design. Using his customary blue “MC” at the top of the Bell helmet, JLF and Conway incorporated classic goggles, scarf and even rendering of dead bugs to a color-filled flat paint scheme – no gloss here!

Mike Conway

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

So, does a cool-looking helmet make you fast?

On Wednesday qualifying yes, the G-Drive Oreca-Nissan was best of the 22 LM P2 cars entered for the Le Mans classic race, but by Thursday’s final provisional classification, the group were bumped down to second on the class grid, albeit 10th overall.

Now we’ll have to see how Conway and his two teammates perform in the 24-hour grueling contest.